Not quite what it seems
by King-Mac-11
Summary: Ruby tries to get answers. She had to! But she decides to go about it in a... less than orthodox manner. Now, she'll learn that nothing is without a price and you have to be careful when dealing with powers you cannot begin to understand.
1. Little Rose

Ruby knew the story, she was intrigued. Stories about a being that could do anything. That could grant any wish. She had some wishes… but she never really thought about using the being to get them. After all, they were simple things: become an awesome huntress like her mother, a life time supply of strawberries, maybe even some cool upgrades to Crescent Rose she hasn't even thought of. But she never thought about using some weird creature to get them. After all, where's the fun in that. It's more interesting to earn that stuff.

However, lately, she's been stuck with so many questions about whatever's been going on with the White Fang and guy Torchwick. Blake lost sleep over this stuff. Weiss is clearly stressed over all this stuff. Even Yang was starting to feel the effects of this stuff. Ruby felt she was out of options.

She looked over the paper again. It was a simple parchment. On it was a diagram, written in black and red. All she had to do was follow the instructions and she could summon whatever this thing was and get some answers.

She recreated the diagram and looked over the page again. There was some text. Featured on the bottom in large, blood red text, [Do not summon at all costs!]. Ruby ignored it. She needed answers. So Blake could get some sleep, so Weiss could have a chance to calm down, and so her sister could stay herself. Ruby had to do this.

"Ancient creature, hear me and show your form. Come to this realm and head my request."

Nothing happened. Ruby knew nothing would, but she was almost hoping that something would. That she really could get some answers from whatever this thing was. She turned away and looked at the paper. "Maybe I did it wrong…"

The diagram started to glow and a voice echoed through the room. "Trust me, little one. You'll wish you did it wrong."

Ruby spun toward the diagram to see a white mask floating in the air above it. A black energy flowed out from it and started to take a human shape. When it was done, Ruby found herself in the presence of a young man, maybe around 18-20 years old for humans, wearing a black, three piece suit and a solid white mask. His hair was a dark black with a few streaks of white in the back. Everything about this man said danger as well as refinement.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Rose." Even his voice was both soothing and venomous.

"H-how do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you and your friends."

"T-then, can you answer my questions?"

"Easily. But everything has a cost Ms. Rose. That said, why stop at simple questions? You could have anything your little heart desires. The best grades? Maybe you want a singing voice like your partner, Schnee? Perhaps a body like your sister's? Maybe you want cat ears like Belladonna… Say the word and it could be yours."

"I… I don't…"

"Maybe… you want a reunion… with your mother."

"You… you can do that?"

"I can do anything, young one. Do we have a deal?" He held his hand toward Ruby.

"I…" Ruby started to reach for his hand but recoiled. "No. I just need some answers."

The being sighed. "Well, you're no fun." He seemed to take a seat midair. "So… what do you want to know?"

Ruby was about to ask her questions, but she stopped herself. "You said it had a price."

"I was hoping you missed that…"

"What do you want?"

"Hmm…" He looked toward Ruby. "You don't really have anything I want at this time. Although… maybe we can make a deal. You get me something I want, and we can talk about your little problem."

"And that is…?"

"Glad you asked." He stood up again and leaned toward her. "I want a bit of… mischief."

The way he said that unnerved Ruby somewhat. "W-what?"

"Just a bit of fun joking. That's all I want."

Ruby seemed to think about it. "What kind of mischief?"

He looked toward the young scythe wielder and sighed. "You know, I'd lie to you… but there's just something about you that makes that impossible." She leans back and seems to sit back again while floating. "I am actually something you don't want to know."

"What's that mean?"

"I am Valenrir. I am the oldest, most dangerous creature you've ever met. I am older than humanity and more powerful than all your kingdoms combined. I can distort reality to my whim. I am a Creature of Grimm more powerful than you've ever faced. I am often called, by you humans… the Grimm god."

Ruby started to panic. "W-what?!"

"Oh calm down little Rose. It's more title than reality now a days. As you can see, I've actually taken a liking to the humans that many Grimm hunt. Your tenacity fascinates me."

Ruby was backing away and reaching for her weapon.

"Remember that, as Grimm grow older, we become smarter. I am the culmination of this learning. I possess of level of intelligence on par with you humans. I'm actually quite proud of it."

Ruby seemed to relax. His voice was very soothing. It seemed to put her at ease, but she knew she shouldn't trust this man.

The Grimm calling himself Valenrir laughed a little. "So, let's make a deal, shall we?"

Ruby remained silent.

After another second of laughter, he continued. "Okay… I can see that you need some time to think this over. We'll talk again at a later time. I've lived an eternity… what's a few hours more?"

With that, Ruby jolted upward. Apparently, she had dozed off. She franticly looked around her, the diagram was incomplete and she was sitting on the floor. _Looks like it was all a dream…_ Ruby decided not to go through with the summoning… thing, for lack of a better word. She dismantled what little she created and started to walk back to her dorm.

\/

After a few hours, her team was back together in their dorm. It was very late and they were preparing to sleep. As Weiss yawned, she looked toward her teammates. "So, did we find anything new?"

Blake shock her head. "Nothing."

Yang sighed. "Ditto…"

Weiss looked to Ruby. "What about you? Did your little summons yield anything?" Her voice a bit more joking over actual inquisitiveness. Weiss had told Ruby it was just a stupid rumor to begin with and wasn't worth their time, but the scythe wielder was adamant to at least try.

"No. I fell asleep so I didn't really do anything."

Weiss rolled her eyes and lied down in her bed. Blake and Yang followed suit by retiring to their respective bunks, leaving Ruby alone in the night. The youngest member of the team tucked in and fell asleep.

\/

Ruby's dream was a strange one. She was alone in one of her classes. She stood up and started to walk around. There was no sign of anyone in Beacon. She started to quickly walk toward her team's dorm room. When she arrived, she opened the door and found no one within. She was alone.

"What's going on?"

"Good question."

Ruby jumped and spun around. Behind her was a young man in a black suit with a white mask. "No… you… you're just a dream."

"Why, thank you. I didn't think I was your type, let alone a dream."

"No! You're not real!"

He laughed and walked toward her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "You'll find, little Rose, that I am quite real…"

Ruby was flustered. The situation was bad enough with his voice, but the way he was acting… it made it hard to think. "W-what do you want?"

Another quick chuckle. "It's not about what I want. It's about what you want."

"I… I don't understand."

"Don't you?"

Ruby quickly shook her head and pushed him away. "What are you up to?"

"Weren't you paying attention before? You have questions and asked me to answer them."

Ruby thought back. "So it did work?"

"It did. I am sealed in the realm of dreams at this time and cannot cross into the physical realm. So, 'summoning' me is just letting me step into your dreams."

"I… I didn't think that you…"

"No one ever does… If you want me to leave, I can. And we'll never see each other again. But… If you want answers, then you're stuck with me for a while."

Ruby had calmed down a bit by now. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you were a Grimm. Don't you want to destroy humanity? Why should I trust you?"

"I guess you shouldn't. But, consider this. Humanity has been killing itself since time immemorial. Yet you trust humans."

"I… well… yeah."

"So… why not me? I'm almost human by now. All I lack in an aura and to be rid of this infernal mask."

"Okay… but as part of the deal, I want your word that you won't hurt anyone."

He placed one hand over where his heart would be and raised the other to make a promise. "No humans or Faunas will be harmed by my actions."

"Oddly specific…"

"Because, I want you to hurt something in exchange for your information."

"And… that is?"

"Grimm."

Safe to say, she was surprised. "… What?"

"You see, the modern Grimm do not know of my power. They do not fear me and have tested my new found patience. I want to start fresh with a new set of Grimm. At least… that's the plan. It's easier said than done."

"Then… why do you need me?"

"We'll get to that later. Now, what do you want to know?"

"Oh! Right… Well, with everything that's been happening recently… I just want to be sure that we can protect people. That we can stop whoever's trying to hurt people."

Valenrir exhaled. It sounded like the kind that would accompanied by a proud smile. "I can honestly say that, by following your path as you have created it, you will be ready to face whatever gets in your way. I cannot say where or when… but you will be ready."

Ruby smiled, even blushed a little. "Thanks." She took a deep breath and composed herself again. "Then, what you want from me?"

"You? You will help me start my plans for a clean Grimm slate. You are going to track down my Grimm Reaper."

\/

 **King: Hello there everybody! Here's a fun little idea I had. hope you enjoy.**


	2. Garden

Ruby woke up to the sound of her alarm. As she prepared for her day, she thought of the schedule ahead. Her main class for the day was with Professor Port. To make things worse, the overly verbose teacher had said that the class for the day will be a review day. For most classes, this means a day to look back over notes, ask questions, and make sure you have a general understanding of the course material. For Professor Port, it means telling his stories a second time in case anyone missed something.

Once the class started, Ruby just sat there and started to pass the time by thinking about various things, mostly Crescent Rose. Over time, she started to space out. Then she started to drift. At one point, she fell asleep.

Ruby found herself in the classroom. Only, now, it was completely empty. Save for herself, and one other being.

"Sleeping in class? What would Weiss say?" Valenrir was sitting on Professor Port's desk.

"I don't think she'll be too mad…"

"It's Weiss."

Ruby hung her head. "Yeah. I know."

Valenrir jumped down from the desk and started to walk around the room. "So, now that I have you for a moment, what do you want to do?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"You're no fun." Valenrir took a deep breath. "Okay, shoot."

"Who is this Reaper, anyway?"

"No idea."

"Then how am I supposed to help you?"

"So quick to be rid of me, huh? We've only known each other for a day."

Ruby sighed. "It was a simple question…"

"Yes it was. The Reaper will reveal itself in time. You don't actually need to do anything. In fact, if you wanted, I could leave at any time."

"Then why stick around?"

"You never asked me to leave."

"It can't be that simple."

"It is." After a moment of silence, "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to ask me to leave?"

Ruby was about speak before she found herself back in reality. She had woken up. Professor Port was mid-story when the ball rang.

"…and then I grabbed the Ursa and… Oh! It seems we're out of time. Until next time, class. And remember, stay vigilant."

Ruby stretched before looking down toward her notebook. _Weird. I didn't think I opened it._ Sprawled across two previously blank pages was a detailed and intricate design. It consisted of several looping vines, a series of thorns, and four flowers. The first was a flower that grew in the deserts of Vacuo that Ruby could never remember the name of. The second was a lily that seemed to be stained in some way. The third was a rose. And the last flower seemed as though it was completely mechanical. The design was in her book, using her pencil, but she doesn't remember ever creating it.

 _What the…?!_

\/

The rest of Ruby's classes were more interesting and passed by too quickly for the young student's preference. That said, it was nice to be back in her dorm for a while. The rest of her team all had one more class each, so Ruby was on her own for another hour. She decided to take a nap. After all, someone has some explaining to do.

She found herself in her room, but it was clear she was asleep and dreaming. The Grimm god in the three piece suit proved that.

"Hello again, little Rose."

Ruby grabbed her note book and turned to the pages with the design. "Explain."

Valenrir looked over the page. "Not bad. Never knew you were the artistic type."

"I didn't draw this. It showed up in class… while I was talking to you."

"Quite." After what seemed like a few minutes of silence and stares, the Grimm god sighed. "You see, little Rose, each of those little flowers represents a person."

"A person?"

"Yes. Three individuals that you will meet in the coming days. Four people more powerful than you can possibly imagine, each in different ways."

"Why are they so important?"

"Contrary to how I may carry myself, I don't know everything."

"So, you have no idea who they are…"

"I have a few ideas."

"Care to share?"

"I don't see why not. The first flower clearly represents someone from Vacuo, specifically the desert regions. Possibly tied to it in some way. The second is a symbol of death and I'd bet the stain is blood. The third is too generic to tell. The last on is likely related to someone that is more machine than human."

Ruby started to think. _The first one… I could ask Sun. He's from Vacuo. The second and third might be more difficult. The fourth one might be talking about Penny…_ She turned back to Valenrir. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"Not really. Though a bit of color would push your questions along, don't you think?"

"And how do I do that? I don't exactly know what it's supposed to look like in color."

"We're in a dream. Just think of colors and they'll come."

"…okay. I'll try." Ruby starts to think of various colors and they actually start to fill the design. The stain on the lily was, in fact, a deep blood red. While the rose filled in with a deep blue. The flower from Vacuo took on a sand coloration and the mechanical flora was mostly gunmetal grey and red. "Got it."

Valenrir concentrated on the design before smiling. "This may just make the job a bit easier."

"Do you know who they are?"

"I have some guesses."

After a moment of silence, "Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope."

\/

Ruby woke up nearly jumping in anger at Valenrir. This, combined with the fact that she slept on a top bunk that was precariously hanging from the ceiling made for a quick lesson in the effects of gravity on the human body. When she stood back up, she looked over to her clock and found that she had only slept for about 15 minutes. _Great…_

She decided to go for a walk to cover the remaining 45 minutes before her team returned from classes. She stretched and opened the door to start the endeavor. As she left the main building, she took a deep breath and smiled.

As she was walking along one of Beacon's many walkways, her attention was grabbed by movement in the courtyard. She took up a position behind some bushes and peered down to see what was happening, her hand on her scroll in case she needed to get her gear or team quickly.

In the main courtyard was a pair of huntsman, specifically Professor Alexander Peach and Professor Goodwitch. Professor Peach's pink suit seemed almost ridiculous when compared to the disciplinarian. Between them was a Faunas she didn't recognize. However, based on her attire, she was a member of the White Fang. They were just standing there, as if they were waiting for something.

It was here that a large, solid black Bullhead ship approached the school's courtyard harbor. _Wow!_ It landed and the door opened with a fair share of smoke.

The Faunas started to laugh. "You know that no human prison can hold me, right? I'll be back. And you will all pay!"

Goodwitch rolled her eyes and Peach laughed a little.

"What's so funny, human?"

"You're not going to a normal prison."

"What?"

A pair of individuals stepped out of the Bullhead. They were easily 8 feet tall and in full black armor. They moved like the early Atlasian Knights, but they didn't seem mechanical. They seemed… inhuman, and yet still human.

"What are those?"

"Those are your prison guards." Another figure walked down the ramp. He was dressed in a mainly red, hooded coat with a few slashes of white. Beneath it was a t-shirt, a pair of dark pants, and a pair of combat boots. On his back was a large bag, like a guitar case (but not as obvious in what it contained). His hair was black and feather-like. His eyes were a deep, blood red. Stranger still, he didn't seem much older than Ruby, maybe 16-19. "And I am your warden."

"You?" The prisoner burst into laughter. "You are just another foolish human!"

"No…" He moved his hand toward the bag and drew a large scythe from the object. It was menacing, intimidating, and looked like it should be wielded by Death himself instead of a prison warden. "… I am the Reaper. And you will follow my rules from now on."

Ruby nearly jumped. _Reaper?!_ Could she have found him already?

"A reaper? Yeah, right! You're just a human that tries to keep down the faunas!"

"Be you human, faunas, or some other creature, I will treat all things equally. For all beings are subject to death. I am Dante "The Reaper" Grimm. And you are without hope from here on out." He waved his hands and the large armored men grabbed the faunas and dragged her into the Bullhead. With that, it began to take off, leaving Dante behind. He turned back toward Goodwitch and Peach. "So, while I wait for my ride, do you mind if I grab something to eat in the cafeteria?"

\/

 **King: Hello there everybody! Here's hoping you had an excellent holiday season and New Year. Hope you enjoy the continuation of this story and sorry it's a little over due, as are my other story's continuations. I just need to figure out a direction for them and I'll return to them in no time. That said, it's not as easy as you'd think...**


	3. Reapers and their Cookies

As the man named Dante walked through the hallways, Ruby remained close behind. She had to confront him and see if he was the "Reaper" Valenrir was looking for. If he was, then the creature could finally leave her dreams. This was accompanied by several thoughts all firing off at once in Ruby's mind. _Wait… didn't he say he could leave if I asked him? But, what is this Reaper, anyway? His scythe as so cool! Who is this guy really? I have to know!_

She followed him to the cafeteria. He had sat down with a plate of something… _wait. Cookies?_

He picked up one of the baked treats and popped it into his mouth. After his mouth was no longer full, he turned slightly. "I know you're there."

Ruby jumped a bit. _Is he talking to me?_

"Yes. Yes, I am."

To say Ruby was shocked would be an understatement and then some. "How did…?"

"I can read minds. Cookie?"

"Wait! You can read minds?!"

"I just said that. Didn't I? It was so long ago."  
"I… I don't…"

"What? Were you expecting something else?"

"Well… yeah." _He did call himself a reaper… right?_

"Oh, that…" He ate another of the cookies. "Quite the performance, if I do say so myself."

"Performance?"

"Yeah. Helps keep the prisoners in order if they think their warden associates himself with Death."

"I… see." She looked down toward the plate.

"Oh, just take one already."

Ruby picked up one of the cookies and devoured it almost immediately. That said, she took the time to taste the confection. "Strawberries?"

"Special recipe. I'm quite proud of it, actually."

Now, for a real introduction. My name is Dante Ravenscroft. And the little one on your hood…"

Ruby reached up and felt feathers. She fell from shock and looked around quickly. What she found was a small white bird with a black mask.

"…is Alighieri." The small bird flew up and landed on Dante's head. "He likes to rest on people's heads. I think he feels like they're premade nests or something."

"I'm Ruby. And I thought you were 'Dante the Reaper Grimm.'"

"Part of the scene. Really helps the intimidation process if your last name is Grimm."

"And the red eyes?"

"What?" he looked into a reflection in the window. "Oh!" He reached his hand toward his eyes and, with a quick swipe, his red eyes became a bright yellow. "Colored contacts. Red eyes helps scare the crap of people if you use it right."

Ruby was finally able to collect herself. "I'll admit… you're not what I was expecting after your 'performance.'"

"Ruby, 'expectations' are based on minimal information. They never show an understanding for the situation at hand."

"…what?"

Dante ate another cookie without skipping a beat. "Very little is ever as it seems at first glance."

"That's… pretty smart."

"You don't get to be a jail warden at my age without learning a few things."

"How old are you, anyway?"

"You never ask a gentleman his age. But I'm 16 if you must know."

Ruby nearly choked on another cookie. _16?! He's only a year older than me?!_

"Can still hear your thoughts."

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that."

"To be fair, though, I had to learn and grow up fast. I'm skilled enough to be a huntsman, but someone needs to keep an eye on the prisoners. Might as well be me."

"I guess…" She reached for another cookie, but found an empty plate.

"Looks like we're out. Well," Dante smiled and held up one cookie, "Almost. Last one. Bet it tastes delicious."

Ruby wanted the cookie, and her face showed that. She used the largest, most adorable puppy-dog look she could muster.

Dante smiled. "Sorry Ruby. That won't work on me." He ate the cookie in front of her and walked away. "Until next time."

Ruby was temporarily out of commission.

\/

Ruby's dream was filled with laughter, just not her own. Valenrir went into a laughing fit when he found out what happened. "Oh my Monty… That's priceless."

Ruby puffed out her cheek in annoyance. "Shut up!"

"I can't help it! That was hilarious!"

"You can be a real jerk, you know that?"

"Hello there. I'm Valenrir, god of the Grimm. Have we met?" His voice just oozed sarcasm.

Ruby paused a moment. Seeing him like this felt… off. "You're acting differently."

"Oh? And how would you know what I act like? Perhaps it's like that Dante guy said. Perhaps I'm not as I seem either."

"You already proved that."

"Oh? Do enlighten me. How have I done this?"

"Well… you're a Grimm. But you aren't a mindless killing machine."

"Good answer." Valenrir floated upward and plucked a teacup from nowhere. He took a sip and the cup disappeared. "You're learning fast little Rose. Though I suppose Dante is a good first start."

"What?"

"You see, I've been doing a bit of thinking about that picture. I think I might know who each person is."

"Wait. Really?"

"I said 'I think.' I don't know for sure. But Dante's arrival confirms one of them."

"Which one?"

"The lily with blood stains."

"Then, who are the other three?"

"Again… I _think_ I _might_ know. I have no definite answers yet. When I figure something out, I'll let you know."

Ruby sighed and followed with a nod. "Okay. So what happens now?"

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"

"My dad always said that it was the best way to learn."

"Daddy's girl, are you?"

"Ruby puffed out her cheek again and spun on her heel. "Shut up. I need to wake up soon and get ready for class." With that, Ruby disappeared, leaving Valenrir alone.

The Grimm god floated toward the window. He looked down toward a large garden. At the center was a large structure. Surrounding it was a large tangle of vines and thorns with four flowers. One of the flowers, a blood stained lily had fallen and a section of the tendrils seemed less tangled. Valenrir smiled. "Soon."

/\

 **King: Hello again, everybody. Hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Now, on to business. "Yuck...", I know. But this might be interesting for those who care. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I thought it might be fun to release a special. "But which story will have it?" you ask. All of them. Well... the one's still active will. Look forward to seeing the social ineptitude of Jaune and Ares in the minefield that is romance, see what the teachers of Beacon get up to for the day, and watch a** ** _dreamy_** **interaction between Ruby and Valenrir. Also, just for fun, I'll have a special one-shot for the holiday. Keep watch for that.**


	4. Dreams on Valentine's

Ruby's dreamscape was empty. No sign of anyone, as usual. However, this time, Valenrir seemed to be missing. She walked throughout the school but found nothing and no one.

"Hello? Are you here?"

The silence of the dream was concerning. Valenrir didn't just disappear and made it a habit to show up whenever Ruby dozed off. Ruby thought that he might be planning something. _Or maybe… this might just be a normal dream._ The thought was actually a nice one. She found Valenrir's constant arrival in her dream world to be a little more than annoying.

She walked through the halls until she reached her room. She took a deep breath before opening the door. After all, this is the last place Valenrir could make an appearance. She threw open the door and… nothing. He was nowhere to be found. _Finally. Some peace._

Her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of hands wrapped over her eyes. "Guess who."

Now she was confused. She recognized the voice, alright… but why was he in her dream? "Jaune?"

The hands moved away and Ruby turned to find the young knight behind her. "Hey, Ruby." Jaune's goofy smile never failed to spread to Ruby's face when she saw it.

"Hey Jaune. Quick question. Have you seen the others?"

"Not for a while, no."

"It's like the whole school's deserted."

"Probably all out on dates."

"What?"

"It's Valentine's Day, Ruby. Did you forget?"

Ruby looked to her scroll and confirmed it was, in fact, Valentine's. "Huh…"

"Yeah."

"Wait… why are you here?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you and Pyrrha a thing?"

Jaune resorted to his habit of nervous laughter accompanied by scratching the back of his head. "Me and Pyrrha? I seriously doubt that."

"Why?"

"It's complicated. Let's just say it wouldn't work out."

Ruby felt her heartrate increase a bit. _What?_ She only felt this when attending to Crescent Rose, so why is she feeling it here talking to Jaune.

"You okay?" In Ruby's concentration, she didn't notice that Jaune moved right in front of her face.

Ruby nearly jumped in shock. "Uh… I-I'm fine." She spoke quickly and tried to change the subject as soon as possible. "I'm kind of hungry. I'm going to the cafeteria."

"Cool. I'm a bit hungry myself."

As they walked, a thought came to Ruby. "So… are Ren and Nora finally together-together?"

Jaune chuckled. "Nora says they aren't, but it's kind of obvious."

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at it all. She knew Nora had a thing for Ren, but she just couldn't admit it. Ruby just knew that they would get together; but, unlike Yang, she wasn't going to meddle.

The arrived in the mess hall and found that it, too, was empty. Ruby was looking over her shoulder constantly. Valenrir had to be here somewhere. She knew he couldn't resist messing with her.

"Ruby?"

Ruby's attention snapped back to Jaune. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh… I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You've been looking like something is going to happen at any moment."

"Sorry. Someone's been bugging me for a while now."

"Who would be crazy enough to try to mess with you?"

"It's a long story…" Ruby saw something in her peripheral vision. She snapped her head to the side, but found nothing.

"Ruby. Seriously. It's okay. How about I get you something to eat and you get the table."

"There's no one else here, Jaune."

"I know." Jaune walked over to the main cafeteria, leaving Ruby alone.

Ruby took a deep breath. _Maybe I'm just paranoid…_

As Jaune returned, Ruby couldn't help but smile. He brought back a plate of strawberries! The moment the plate hit the table, half the strawberries had disappeared.

Jaune laughed at this. "You might want to slow down a bit."

Ruby smiled. "Can't help it. My favorite food and speed semblance makes it hard."

Jaune continued to smile. At one point, however, he seemed to stop and think.

"Something wrong, Jaune?"

"No. The opposite actually."

"What do mean?"

"It's just… you're pretty cute."

Ruby froze. She looked at Jaune for a moment before laughing nervously. "Where's this coming from?"

Jaune took a deep breath before continuing. "The bottom of my heart."

Ruby could hear her heartrate at this point. She could feel the blood rush to her face and force her to blush. Ruby's mind became a jumble of thoughts. _Why is he saying that? I thought he liked Pyrrha. But he said it wouldn't work out. Am I why wouldn't work out? Oh my Monty! Does he really like me? Wait… why am I reacting like this? Do I like him?_

Jaune attempted to read her silence. He immediately jumped to the usual conclusion. "I'm sorry. It's alright to turn me down. I wouldn't blame you."

"No! I-It's not that." _Oh dear Oum… do I like him?_ "It's just a bit out of the blue. I never really thought about that stuff before."

Jaune seemed almost relieved. "Sorry for springing on you."

"It's okay. But now I have to ask…"

"What is it?"

"Do you really like me?"

Jaune smiled and opened his mouth to answer, but Ruby would never get it.

\/

Ruby jolted awake. _A dream?_ She sighed. _Right… Of course it was a dream. I mean, me liking Jaune?_ Ruby got up and started to get ready for her day. Her team was out and likely all off doing their own thing. Ruby started to remove her pajamas and looked over toward the calendar. **[Valentine's Day].** _Huh…_ She thought back to her dream and blushed. She instantly shook her head to purge the thought. "It was just a dream."

"A dream within a dream? You never cease to amaze, little Rose."

A chill went up Ruby's spine. She slowly turned around to find the Grimm god in the three piece, black suit sitting on Blake's bed.

"Oh, by all means, continue."

Ruby looked down to find herself removing her pajama pants and without her shirt. She used her semblance to instantly rush for the covers of her blanket. "Why are you here?!"

"Seriously? You're not going to call me a pervert or some other cliché for the situation?"

"I woke up! So why are you here?!"

"Because you haven't woken up yet. Like I said, you actually had a dream within a dream. I'm actually kind of impressed."

Ruby used the moment to change beneath her covers and popped out with her normal clothing on. "I get the feeling you had something to do with that."

"Aren't you a little young to be that cynical or is Weiss rubbing off on you?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and turned around. She stretched and spoke in a deadpan. "Maybe it's the mask."

"Now a bit of Blake. Monty forbid you start acting like your sister. You know, if the mask is such an issue, I can change it."

"And how would you do that?" Ruby turned around and froze.

Sitting in Valenrir's place was Jaune! "What's wrong little Rose. Something wrong?" It was Jaune's voice! His goofy smile. His scraggily blonde hair. Everything!

"H-how did you…?!"

"This is a dream, remember? I can do or be anything." He made this point be becoming a dead ringer for Weiss. "Is that a significant explanation?"

Ruby was still too shocked to speak.

"Perhaps this isn't the best form for this." Valenrir returned to his normal form and laughed.

Ruby took a deep breath. "Okay… I don't know what I can say here. I'm just going to hope I wake up soon."

"If you must, a quick shock should do it."

"Like a pinch?"

"Contrary to popular belief, that doesn't really work. Something else might work, though."

"What?"

"This." Ruby found herself face to face with Jaune. 'Jaune' grabbed her chin and kissed her.

\/

Ruby woke up instantly. She looked around her in a panic. Her team was nearby, still asleep. She let out a sigh of relief. She looked over toward the clock/calendar. 6:00 AM. _Might as well not bother trying to get any more sleep._ Valentine's Day.

/\

 **King: Valentine's Special number 2. We have one more special on the books and the special one shot on the 14th. Now, just to make sure we all understand, this story is not in the same world as any of my others. None of these are cannon to each other or the main story, so they'll have deviations. After all, RWBY (owned by Rooster Teeth) doesn't have a dream walking god of Grimm... That we know of. So, hope you enjoyed the special.**


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